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### Modal Verbs: Moeten and Mogen

In Dutch, **moeten** means "must" or "to have to", expressing obligation or necessity. **Mogen** means "may" or "to be allowed to", expressing permission.

Like other modal verbs, their conjugations are slightly irregular in the singular forms:

| Pronoun | Moeten | Mogen |
|---|---|---|
| Ik | moet | mag |
| Jij / U | moet | mag |
| Hij / Zij / Het | moet | mag |
| Wij / Jullie / Zij | moeten | mogen |

### Word Order and Obligations

Just like *willen* and *kunnen*, these modal verbs take the second position in a sentence, pushing the main verb to the end in its infinitive form.

{{item:788228}}

This rule applies to separable verbs, too. When paired with a modal verb, separable verbs like *invullen* (to fill in) or *opstaan* (to get up) aren't split up; the entire unseparated word goes to the end of the sentence.

{{item:788226}}

{{item:788223}}

### Asking Questions

In a yes/no question, the conjugated modal verb moves to the front of the sentence, while the main verb stays at the end.

{{item:788224}}

### Asking and Denying Permission

Use **mogen** to ask if something is permitted.

{{item:788231}}

To state that something is not allowed, combine *mogen* with **niet** (not).

{{item:788232}}

{{item:788235}}

### Rules and Restrictions

Instead of using a modal verb, a rule (**de regel**) can be stated directly by declaring that an action is strictly forbidden (**verboden**).

{{item:788239}}

{{item:788243}}

Modal verbs (moeten, mogen)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

determiner/pronoun

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular pronouns and 'to be' (ik ben, hij is)

The formal 'you' (u bent)

Definite articles (de, het)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (wij zijn)

The verb 'to have' (hebben)

Basic word order

Numbers 1 to 10 (een, twee, drie)

Verb stems and the 'I' form (ik werk)

Long vowels in verb stems (maken, ik maak)

Short vowels in verb stems (zitten, ik zit)

Present tense singular (-t)

Present tense plural (-en)

Yes/no questions

Question words (wie, wat, waar)

Noun negation (geen)

Plural nouns (-en)

Plural nouns (-s)

Diminutives (-je)

Adjective modifiers (heel, erg, te)

Verb negation (niet)

Singular possessives (mijn, jouw, zijn, haar)

Plural and formal possessives (ons/onze, jullie, hun, uw)

This and these (deze, dit)

That and those (die, dat)

Asking which (welke, welk)

Numbers 11 to 20 (elf, twaalf, dertien...)

Tens and compound numbers (dertig, veertig...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (eerste, tweede...)

Telling time: hours and half hours (uur, half)

Telling time: quarters (kwart over, kwart voor)

Question words (hoeveel, waarom)

Irregular verbs (doen, gaan, staan, zien, komen)

Adjective endings (+e)

Adjectives with 'het' words

Prepositions of place (uit, bij)

Subject-verb inversion

Time before place

Modal verbs (willen, kunnen)

The verb bracket

Separable prefix verbs

The imperative mood (kom, luister)

Singular object pronouns (mij, jou, hem, haar)

Plural and formal object pronouns (ons, jullie, hen, u)

Reflexive verbs and pronouns (zich, me, je)

Position of negation (niet)

The present perfect tense with regular verbs (hebben gewerkt)

The present perfect tense with motion verbs (zijn gegaan)

Irregular past participles (gezien, gedaan)

The present continuous (zijn aan het)

There is / there are (er is, er zijn)

Unstressed there (er)

And, but, or (en, maar, of)

Because (want)

Months of the year

Prepositions of time (om, van ... tot)

Greetings and politeness

Conversational glue

Prepositions with days (op)

Prepositions with seasons (in)

Genitive of time ('s morgens, 's nachts)

Adverbs of frequency (altijd, vaak)

The future tense (gaan)

The future tense (zullen)

Separable verbs with auxiliary verbs

Apostrophe plurals ('-s)

Irregular plurals (-eren)

Complex diminutives (-pje, -etje, -kje)

Possessive 's (Jan's, vaders)

Indefinite pronouns (iets, niemand, alles)

Indefinite subject pronoun (je)

Reciprocal pronoun (elkaar)

Comparative adjectives (-er dan)

Comparatives with spelling change (-der)

Superlative adjectives (-st)

Irregular comparisons (beter, meer, minder)

Expressing preference (graag, liever, het liefst)

Equality comparisons (even ... als)

Fixed prepositions

That clauses (dat)

Because clauses (omdat)

If and when clauses (als)

Inversion after clauses

Separable verbs in clauses

Negation in clauses (niet)

Past tense of to be (was / waren)

Past tense of to have (had / hadden)

Past tense of modal verbs (wilde, kon, moest, mocht)

Question	Answer
to have to, must	moeten
the form	het formulier
to fill in	invullen
You have to fill in the form today.	Je moet vandaag het formulier invullen.
Do I have to fill in the form now?	Moet ik het formulier nu invullen?
to get up	opstaan
Today I have to get up early.	Vandaag moet ik vroeg opstaan.
quiet	stil
The child has to be quiet.	Het kind moet stil zijn.
You have to be quiet in the library.	Jullie moeten in de bibliotheek stil zijn.
to stop	stoppen
Are we allowed to stop here?	Mogen we hier stoppen?
You are not allowed to stop here.	Je mag hier niet stoppen.
the grass	het gras
Are we allowed to sit on the grass?	Mogen we op het gras zitten?
The dog is not allowed to walk on the grass.	De hond mag niet op het gras lopen.
Tomorrow we are allowed to get up late.	Morgen mogen we laat opstaan.
forbidden	verboden
Swimming is forbidden there.	Zwemmen is daar verboden.
Smoking is forbidden in this hotel.	Roken is in dit hotel verboden.
the rule	de regel
Our boss has a new rule.	Onze baas heeft een nieuwe regel.
strict	streng
That rule is very strict.	Die regel is heel streng.
Your father is always very strict.	Jouw vader is altijd erg streng.
the first name	de voornaam
the surname	de achternaam
You must fill in your first name and surname.	U moet uw voornaam en achternaam invullen.
My first name is Tom and my surname is Bakker.	Mijn voornaam is Tom en mijn achternaam is Bakker.
the phone number	het telefoonnummer
I have to fill in my phone number.	Ik moet mijn telefoonnummer invullen.
What is your phone number?	Wat is jouw telefoonnummer?
the number (in a series)	het nummer
This number is not my phone number.	Dit nummer is niet mijn telefoonnummer.
My room has number nine.	Mijn kamer heeft nummer negen.
to stop (doing)	stoppen met
He must stop smoking.	Hij moet stoppen met roken.
We are stopping work.	Wij stoppen met het werk.

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